Val D'orcia Brunello Wine Tour With Montalcino And Montepulciano

This was an exceklent experience. Sal, our tour guide, was informative and accomodating during the entire day and had a great sense of humor.

My wife and I joined a small group tour and everyone got along well. The tour included two wineries and a delicious lunch in a Pienza with a great view of the Tuscany countryside. The driver was competent and personable - hard to hear her in the van - but shared personal observations/history and was certainly an experienced driver. The tours were very informative - and enjoyable! The ride through the Tuscan countryside was very pleasant - great time of year to visit. Overall a very good experience!!

Salvatore was incredibly knowledgeable of Italy and was an excellent driver. Montalcino had a beautiful vineyard with amazing wine. Pienza was filled with such rich history and we saw where the movie Gladiator was filmed while we ate an amazing meal in the town. Our last stop was at a winery at a medieval town in Montepulciano; that also had amazing wine and history. Must book this excursion on your trip to Italy.

This was one of the highlights of our European vacation. The star of the show was our stop in Montepulciano. The area is stunning and I wish we had more time to spend there. Ercolani winery is a can’t miss. The tour, wine and food were outstanding and having it in a historic underground city was amazing. Our guide was friendly, funny and engaging. Their store has tons of unique items to bring home. We loved this stop. Lunch was in a nearby village and was nice. The view was spectacular and food was very good. The last stop in Montalcino was a bit disappointing. The tasting list was limited and our host paid little attention to our group (which was unusual as we were the only one there).

Walked through Pienza and had lunch. What a beautiful place. This is the trip if you are wanting to stock up on wine directly from the source. We spent time reviewing and purchasing wine in Montalcino and Montepulciano. We did not get to walk through those towns and my only disappointment (that’s on me, not the tour as you only have time for certain things). Our driver got us safely through the trip and was very nice.

An Amazing Day in Tuscany with Fabio! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We had an absolutely amazing private tour of Tuscany with Fabio, and it was one of the highlights of our trip to Italy! Fabio was an incredible guide and driver. He was knowledgeable, friendly, professional, and made the entire day feel relaxed and enjoyable. He shared so much interesting information about Tuscany, the towns, the countryside, and the wine, while also giving us plenty of time to enjoy each stop at our own pace. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, and Fabio made the experience even more special with his knowledge and personal touches. He was attentive to our group throughout the entire day and went above and beyond to make sure we had a wonderful experience. I highly recommend booking a private Tuscany tour with Fabio. If you have the opportunity to have him as your guide, definitely do it! He made our day unforgettable, and we would happily tour with him again. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An amazing experience and our driver Sal made this unique experience even more memorable! Sal was engaging and accommodating! Highly recommend for any fan of Brunello !

I booked this tour of Val d’Orcia expecting a memorable experience exploring the region and its wineries. Unfortunately, what should have been a wonderful day turned into one of the most unpleasant experiences of my trip to Italy, mainly because of the guide’s attitude. I was fully aware that the tour would be conducted in English. Although English is not my first language and I am not completely fluent, I can communicate in it. I also speak some Italian, which I am currently studying. Before departure, I mentioned this to two guides. One was extremely kind and reassuring. Unfortunately, I was assigned to the other guide, whose attitude was completely different. From the beginning, he made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. When introducing the participants, instead of simply asking where I was from, as he did with everyone else, he referred to me as “the Brazilian who doesn’t speak English.” I immediately corrected him, explaining that I do speak English, just not perfectly. I found this unnecessary, condescending and embarrassing. Throughout the tour, I felt that he showed very little patience or willingness to communicate with me. I understand that he was not obligated to conduct the tour in another language, and I never expected that. However, basic courtesy, patience and respect should not depend on a guest’s level of English. The most unacceptable incident happened when I arrived approximately two minutes late at one of our meeting points. In front of the entire group, the guide told me that I needed to follow Italian time, “not Brazilian time.” I was shocked. Being reminded to arrive on time would have been perfectly reasonable. But associating a minor delay with my nationality, publicly and in a derogatory manner, was completely unnecessary and offensive. My nationality had absolutely nothing to do with the situation. I felt singled out, humiliated and treated differently from the other participants. Another guest witnessed the incident, and I immediately expressed how uncomfortable and discriminatory I found the comment. This was not simply a language barrier. It was a matter of attitude, professionalism and respect. I paid the same price as everyone else and deserved to be treated with the same dignity. The wineries and the scenery of Val d’Orcia are beautiful, but a guide’s behavior can completely ruin an otherwise wonderful experience. I would not recommend this tour based on my experience. A professional tour guide should make guests feel welcome, not embarrass them in front of strangers or make derogatory remarks about their nationality. Respect is not an optional extra in a paid tour. It is the bare minimum.

Don’t think twice, just book it! This was an incredible experience from start to finish. The wine was amazing and they shipped some home for me too!

Lorenzo was our driver and really made the experience 10+. The places they chose were great and a nice private tour. One couple has done another private trip the day before and they even said this was far superior. I do think they should limit the tour to 6 - which is what we had - because the van is 2 in front, 3 in the middle and 3 in back. If there was another couple they would have been split up and it would have been much tighter. But 6 was perfect! Would totally recommend this for a private tour

It was a great day! Fabulous wine tasting at Montepulciano in underground city, nice lunch with a beautiful view and good tasting in Montalcino. Got some sightseeing in too which was great! Driver was very knowledgeable and helpful. However I sat in the front of the van on the way back and am glad I made it back alive! The driver seemed to be at least 30km over the speed limit most of the way, all over the road - made me very anxious.

Scenic drive through the countryside with lots of opportunities for photos. Excellent guide, Fabio took great care of us. Enjoyed both wineries and also purchased olive oil, balsamic vinegar and cheese. Lunch in Pienza was a highlight!

Excellent tour of wineries in Montacino and Montapulciano with lunch in Piezza. Our driver, Simona, provided us with great information about the sights along the drive and history of the region. She was also an expert driver and made excellent time through crowded streets!

Luca is an excellent guide! He gave a good history of the region, provided water and kept us to time. The wine tours were lovely, as was the lunch.

We had an amazing day touring the wineries with our host Luca. Everything went great. He was very easy to work with and the wine tastings were amazing. We would highly recommend this experience anyone else considering

We did the Montepulciano/Montalcino full day wine tour and it was INCREDIBLE. We loved the flow of the tour and the places we visited. Our guide, Sal, was the epitome of Italian hospitality and was so incredible. We would 1000% book with them again. The price was 10000% worth it!

I would find another tour. For many reasons. 1. Our transportation was a small van. All 8 of us were crammed into a van. 2. The itinerary was not followed. We did not go to all our stops. 3. Our first reservation was taken by another tour. We had to circle and go to another. And because of that we had no time for our 2nd stop. Our tour director blamed us for running late with our tasting. She should have kept us to the schedule, we didn’t know it. 3. She talked on the phone while driving with one hand, and was very cranky. Did not put any music on in the van. Very silent ride home from last tasting. ( which no one bought wine from or allowed us time to explore the town for 15 minutes, which was part of our tour ). Definitely, find another tour to book.

Some steps but beautiful views and lots of shops so a great time. Simon’s does a wonderful job of getting us there and back on schedule.

The tour itself was wonderful! One of the top days on our entire vacation. We visited 2 wineries - one in Montepulciano in an underground cave and one at a winery outside of Montalcino - and we had a lovely lunch with a view in Pienza. It was really nice to have a driver when visiting wineries and we were able to visit multiple cities in one day. We saw a lot in one day! Luca was a great tour guide! He shared great information about the region, towns we were visiting, wine in the area, and sites we passed along the way. We even stopped at a beautiful church and got to see the Gladiator road. Would highly recommend this tour!

We were not welcomed by our main guide upon arrival. She (name started with an S by her nametag) didn't tell us where we were headed or that the route would be different from the itinerary. She just told us to get into the 2nd drivers van and we drove for over an hour to the first site. The 3 parts of the tour were good. You really need to be into wine tastings, which were well done, but more wine than a casual wine drinker needs starting in the morning. The tour in Montepulciano was long, but the guide there was excellent. The lunch in Pienza was at a lovely venue with good choices for food. Unfortunately we had only 15 minutes to see the town and shop. The vineyard in Montalcino was wonderful and the wine tasting portion was a good length. We enjoyed a good, LONG day with nice people and we were happy that we took the trip.

This tour was amazing. Our driver, Francesco, was amazing and made sure the day ran smoothly. The first winery that we visited in Montepulciano was so beautiful and unique- tunnels and cellars under the city. Here we tried 8 or 9 different wines and had a selection of meats, cheeses, bread, olive oil & balsamic vinegar to taste as well. Lunch in Pienza was beautiful! Unfortunately very windy that day so we ate in the courtyard but the view from the restaurant was amazing and we were able to take some photos. Our third stop in Montalcino was another beautiful winery - this time at a large villa. At all stops we were able to explore a bit as well. Overall it was a 10/10 day visiting the Tuscan countryside!!

This is a great way to see parts of Tuscany outside of Florence if you only have a short stay. You have just enough time in each village to get a feel for the place. We didn’t go into Montalcino which was disappointing but the winery visit was wonderful. The view at the restaurant for lunch is spectacular. Whilst the food is good and the service is ok, it really doesn’t matter when you have such an awesome view. The tour guide was fine. But as with most countries in Europe the driving can be interesting. The final winery stop in Montepulciano was great. A large variety of wines and the accompanying food was great, although we were quite full from lunch. The minivan was comfortable and I think 6 of the 8 people on the tour slept all the way back to Florence which is about a two hours drive. I would recommend.

We absolutely loved the wine tour at montepulciano. The entire experience was immersive and educational. Not only that, but it just felt very planned out. Melanie did an amazing job and you can tell she’s passionate about what she does. You can tell they really take pride in their wine. I didn’t really feel this with the tour in Montalcino, and I know my opinion is only my own (just didn’t feel all that educational, there wasn’t a spread to pair with the wine, and it didn’t really feel that immersive or educational), but I truly would have just enjoyed the wine tour at montepulciano and stayed in montepulciano to do shopping and check out more of the town. The lunch that day was great! The view was amazing. Our driver, Sri-Hari, was phenomenal! He was so happy to work with us and answer any questions we had - authentically.

Lovely day in Tuscany tasting wine and the lunch was at an amazing place with fabulous views. Also had some time to wander around two very quaint towns.

This was the perfect way to explore the Tuscany region whilst staying in Florence. The 2 wineries we visited were amazing, the wine was great and learning about their processes was so interesting. Lunch was also 10/10 for both food and the view - it was breathtaking.

The driver was nice but he did not give us any information at all when travelling between places. The first winery was nice and the wine very good. No food was served. Lunch was in a preset town but was awful and took far too long to get. When had 15 of free time to walk around the town. I would suggest skipping the lunch and buying something in the town instead. The next stop was interesting and we would have enjoyed it had we had more time as we wanted to have time to visit the town. Not the fault of the winery though. They had great food out but unfortunately we had ruined our appetite from the awful lunch. All in all the places we visited were nice- would have been nice to have a knowledgeable driver and we knew not to get the prearranged lunch. I have had way better on other tours.

We had a wonderful experience! Our driver was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. He was training a new driver who was also kind. We were the only two guests on the tour because it’s the slow season, so we were quite lucky! Highly recommend. The food and wine were plentiful and delicious!

This was an amazing tour of some of Tuscany’s country side. Our guide Luca was amazing, he shared a lot of history and fun facts, he walked with us and was our guide in the towns, very attentive and nice. The places we visited were beautiful. The tour guides were very engaging, knowledgeable, and nice. The wine was superb at both places and lunch was fantastic and with a great view. The service we got everywhere was excellent. Highly recommended!

This is a wonderful tour! The underground, secret areas beneath the town were amazing, their wines were ALL delicious, our guide perfection, history fascinating and we loved every bit of it. We bought some of the wonderful vino nobile and chianti riserva!!!

Wonderful time tour guide and bus ride were wonderful!

If you love good wine then this tour is a must! Both wineries treated us so well, sharing their knowledge and experience with us. The drive through the countryside made the day great but Siki made it special! His driving skills were superb and his personality made for such an enjoyable day! Thank you Siki!

Great day trip, beautiful winery. Loved the tastings and food! Great tasting rooms.

We had a wonderful time. Our guide was so kind, knowledgeable and accommodating. The wine and lunch were delicious.

The whole experience was very good, from easy pick-up in city center to amazing wine and food to stunning views. The only thing missing was the stop in the town of Montalcino. This was not explained and disappointing. The wine and food stops are ample time but we did have time to see anything in the town of Monterpulciano other than the underground cellar and Pienza was very fast. Do this tour for the wine, not necessarily the towns. We learned a lot about Tuscan history and very much enjoyed our trip.

Wonderful trip exploring the beautiful Val d’Orcia region. It was a small group of just three people, so felt very personal and relaxed. Our driver Luca was great, providing lots of information about the region and making lots of extra stops for great photo opportunities. The two wineries we visited were superb, with excellent wines. The restaurant had one of the best views I've ever seen. Highly recommended tour!

Wonderful full day experience in Val d’Orcia! The wine tasting with food pairing in Montepulciano is very well done, the lunch in Pienza is delicious and in a beautiful setting, and the winery visit in Montalcino is great! Our guide/driver Lucca was amazing and very friendly! Highly recommend this tour for anyone looking to venture out of the city to taste exceptional wine and food!

We had a great time on this tour! The wineries were great, the lunch was a full lunch with app, pasta dish and dessert and a glass of wine. We also had meats, cheeses and spreads at the second stop. There was more than enough food for the full day. The tastings were significant (6-8 wines at each). There was a lot of history shared by Simona and we had a great group of folks who joined. We actually ended up spending time with them afterwards as well! Great tour and great value.

The restaurant is no longer the one with the view. This allegedly premium tour now takes you to a cheap restaurant outside the old town with no view, an unpleasant and uninterested owner, and food which could honestly be described as average at best. We were furious as this was supposed to be, per the website, a lunch in a convent overlooking the Val d'Orsia... What we expected to be the highlight of our trip. Instead we had a brief walk past the views and through the town before being led to this dump. I complained to the driver but he said they aren't dealing with that restaurant any more and it's closed... But we walked past other places with the view, so they could have found a decent alternative at least! The first vineyard we visited was nice, in Montepulciano, but the tour is free to all visitors anyway. There was no time to see the rest of the town. The second vineyard was interesting but the tour was minimal. We had a quick walk around the town, a two minute stop at the view and that was it. Basically, the only premium thing about this expensive tour is that the groups are small and that you are in Ford minibuses with leather seats and if you are lucky a nice driver (ours was excellent I must admit). You would be better off renting a car, the tasting experiences can be bought for 25 euros and the lunch place is crap.

Fantastic tour! Highly recommend! The food was delicious and we learned so much about Italian vineyards.

Great tour and value. Visit includes two stops (1) Younger female run winery Patrizia Cencioni, solid Brunellos (2) Lunch in Pienza, at a great restaurant with most most insane countryside views (3) Montepulciano winery that’s mind blowing. Ancient winery Cantina Ercolani. This is where they have full range, full body brunellos. Pairing with food/cheese. Our guide here Luisa was spectacular. The knowledge and wisdom she shared made the experience 5x ⭐️. Highly recommend. Leave at 9am, back in Florence 6:30pm.

This was an amazing tour and met all our expectations!! There were a total of 7 in our tour, including my husband and I. Simona was our driver and she provided excellent commentary on the drive. She was very knowledgeable and very friendly. We stopped at two wineries, each had a large array of fantastic wines to try. Excellent wine, food, and views!! I highly recommend this tour!!

This ended up being our favorite experience of our trip to Florence, but there were a few misses despite the overall great experience. First, we loved that it was a small group of just 8 of us for the day. It felt cozy and intimate and not too hectic, and our group was great (a tour like this is so dependent on a fun and interactive group, in my opinion). The first winery we went to was amazing, I actually could not believe the views of the tuscan countryside we got to experience while there. The second winery tour was just okay, but the tasting was wonderful and we got a good amount of food alongside the wine (first winery just gave us breadsticks but it was early in the morning so that was okay). We also really enjoyed getting to walk around Pienza, what a beautiful quaint little town! We didn't get to see the Fortezza as advertised, nor did we have any time to explore Montepulciano (maybe 10 minutes before the wine tour started). Given we returned back almost an hour earlier than advertised, it feels like we did have time for these things in the schedule as advertised. Also, there was an event happening at the location where we were meant to have lunch so we couldn't go. The place we went to instead felt like a bit of an afterthought (and we had a very limited menu to chose from and had an appetizer and pasta). Overall this was a great experience and allowed us to taste some of our favorite wines in Tuscany.

Great day trip with amazing landscape and wine experience. Nothing compare it. Its a must to visit this region if you are coming in Florence. Our guide Mike was really nice and funny

Two stops at Vineyards of which one was more of a museum and rarely interesting cave along a street of shops and story about war and the other vineyard was your standard tour at the Vineyard. Great pace throughout the day.

Mike our driver with Keys of Italy was amazing (driving expertly from Firenze (8:00 am pick up) to Montepulciano to Montalcino and back to Firenze) and provided us with a first hand education of the area as we passed along with a detailed description of grapes and process of wine making. First stop (1.5 hours from Firenze) was at the wine shop and underground cellar in Montepulciano; Alessandra was incredibly knowledgeable and answered all our questions; we tasted 7 wines and a dessert wine; they served local cured meats, cheese and bread (truffle oil chips were a big hit!). Then we drove to Penza for a lovely lunch at an trattoria (salad, gnocchi and tiramisu and wine of course!). Next stop (30 mins so good for a short and much needed nap!) was Montalcino - the winery and vineyards of family owned business; Arianna, one of the owners, was our guide and showed us outside the vineyards and grapes; we tasted 7 wines (rose, and Brunello reds) while she explained all the nuances of running a winery/vineyard. Then Mike took us into the ancient city of Montalcino so we could walk around see the fortress, do some shopping. Back in Firenze by 6:30 pm Strongly recommend Keys of Italy for a wonderful day long experience. Bring euros for tips for guides/drivers, comfy walking shoes, and a credit card for all the wine you will buy to ship home. (Note some places offer free shipping on a case of 12).

Beautiful scenery and lovely wine. Second time taking this tour. The quality of the lunch has decreased since last year but the scenery is still wonderful from restaurant terrace. Wine pours seemed to be smaller and wine prices are up. Driver was diligent but parking was a challenge and we needed to walk further than last year to reach the restaurant in Pienza and the winery in Montepulciano. This was a bit of a challenge for me in 90+ F degree heat.

Our group really enjoyed this tour. The winery visits and lunch were all great. Our driver, Fabio, was very good. He made a few extra stops so we could take some photos of the beautiful country side.

Wineries were good, driver was not kind, lunch was horrible a tourist trap. Description not correct at all

The tour was the highlight of our trip so far it was wonderful. We met new friends, and Luca was incredible. We learned not Just about wines, but the countryside and the history of the area.